Abstract
Aim: This study examined how psychosocial characteristics might relate to adherence to democratic values among young and older people within two different cultural contexts in Afghanistan. Method: Self-report questionnaires were employed to measure empathy, theory of mind, gender role equality, openness to experiences, suggestibility, authoritarianism and support for democracy. A sample of 669 people from younger (18–25 years) and older (45 years and above) age groups from different cultural backgrounds in Afghanistan participated in the study. A series of MANOVAs were conducted to examine the cultural (Dari, Pashto), generational and gender differences on the study variables. Dari and Pashto speakers showed equal degrees of support for authoritarianism regardless of age difference. Results: The findings reveal that Dari speakers scored more highly on empathy, theory of mind, openness, gender role equality, democratic values and lower on suggestibility than Pashto speakers. Older Pashtun participants had lower scores on theory of mind than their younger counterparts. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis yields that gender role equality, openness and suggestibility predict support for democracy with gender role equality being the strongest predictor. Conclusion: The knowledge gained here would potentially be incorporated into the development of practical guidelines to be used by policy makers, education systems and the media to facilitate the process of democratization.
Highlights
After the Second World War, the Middle East went through immense geopolitical and regime changes, mostly as a result of foreign military and/or political interventions.More recently, this region underwent heavily planned radical actions carried out by USled military forces that aimed to replace authoritarian regimes with a democratic political system
The present study aimed to identify some of the psycho-social variables that might underpin people’s political tendencies and behaviours and, adherence to democratic values in an Afghan population
Education will be examined and controlled for as it is deemed to have an essential influence on the support for democracy, with highly educated people being more supportive of democratic values [3]
Summary
After the Second World War, the Middle East went through immense geopolitical and regime changes, mostly as a result of foreign military and/or political interventions.More recently, this region underwent heavily planned radical actions carried out by USled military forces that aimed to replace authoritarian regimes (e.g., in Afghanistan andIraq) with a democratic political system. After the Second World War, the Middle East went through immense geopolitical and regime changes, mostly as a result of foreign military and/or political interventions. This region underwent heavily planned radical actions carried out by USled military forces that aimed to replace authoritarian regimes After more than a decade, both countries, Afghanistan, are still struggling to establish the foundations of democracy With this in mind, the extent to which the foreign forces have accommodated any subtle psycho-social factors into their strategic plan of action in the region is open to question. Education will be examined and controlled for as it is deemed to have an essential influence on the support for democracy, with highly educated people being more supportive of democratic values [3]
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